Posts

In this episode of The Hardcore Skeptic Examines, Cory talked to Dan Arel author of The Secular Activistand Parenting Without God. They talked about various aspects of social justice activism including protests and property damage.

Thanks to our financial supporters, Kayla, Kim, Stephanie, Zach, The Utah Outcasts(x2), Will, Aaron, Darryl, BobbGlenn, Destin Doesn’t Suck That Much, Magnus, Several Species of small furry animals gathered together in a cave, Positively Skeptical, Rob,The Podunk Polymath, The Flying Spaghetti Monster (Sauce Be Upon Him), Freethinker215, and Larry. If you want to join them and help the show grow then you can do that at www.patreon.com/brainstormpodcast or you can do a one time donation at www.paypal.me/brainstormpodcast

On this episode, I speak with Sally Hunt, atheist activist and author of the blog and YouTube channel The Passionate Atheist. According to her website, she “advocates for the separation of church & state, comprehensive sex education, sex-positivity, feminism, social, racial, & economic justice, and equal human rights for all.” She is the Public Relations Director of The Original Motto Project, which seeks to replace the divisive and discriminatory U.S. motto, “In God We Trust,” with the original – and rightful – U.S. motto, “E Pluribus Unum,” (meaning “From many, one”) or the first three words of the U.S. Constitution, “We the People.”

Sally and I discuss her public, peaceful opposition to the huge “In God We Trust” display emblazoned in the town hall meeting room of the Board of Aldermen in Wentzville, Missouri, and of her experience being cut off and kicked out of the meeting. We discuss her appearance on Fox News’ show “The Ingraham Angle” following that event, where she faced off with Ingraham and MO State Senator Bob Onder. We also talk about the failure of abstinence-only sex education and Sally’s campaign against Thrive’s “Best Choice” program, a curriculum written by Christians with an agenda to insert religious doctrine concerning sex into public school classrooms.

The opening clip is an excerpt from the audiobook “God is Not Great” by Christopher Hitchens, courtesy of Hachette Audio. Text Copyright 2007 by Christopher Hitchens. Audio production copyright 2007, Hachette Audio. Used with permission.

The opening and ending music is “Jade” by Esther Nicholson and is used under license. The editing was done by Rich Lyons of the “Living After Faith” podcast.

This episode, Justin had a conversation with his friend Adriane about abuse, neglect, and harm done in the name of religion. They discussed her upbringing and eventual path to atheism, how religious exemption laws harm public health and children’s rights, the current political climate, and the value of citizenship.

They discussed his deconversion, how he got into atheist activism and helped co-found Tri-State Freethinkers, his activist philosophy, protesting the Westboro Baptist Church and the Ark Encounter, and his new position as the National Field Organizer for American Atheists.